The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has advised people to ensure that they use only trusted programs and applications to connect to their home security systems remotely.
This comes in continuation of the tips being offered by the ministry through social media on the safe use of home security camera systems.
On Sunday, the MoI had advised residents to get home surveillance devices only from accredited suppliers to ensure that the system was safe for use.
“To ensure the safe use of home security camera systems and to keep them safe from being hacked, please visit the link Security Systems Department at http://moi.gov.qa before buying them to ensure that the company is accredited,” the ministry had said.
Besides visiting the link on the ministry’s website, people can also call 2343999 to get the relevant information.
Providing further advice yesterday, the MoI said people should make sure that they are using trusted programs and applications while connecting to the home network remotely. This is “to keep your home security camera safe from being hacked”, it said in a post on Twitter.
The ministry also advised that “to protect your privacy and keep your home security camera system safe from being hacked, please choose a strong password that contains letters, numbers and symbols, and change it periodically”.
Further, it stressed that the “safe and optimal use of home security camera systems requires prior technical inspection of the site by the company to decide the required number of devices and its specifications”. This step is important in ensuring the privacy of others, the MoI added.
“It is preferable to request (for) a technical inspection from the company for the site to determine the required devices in accordance with the purpose of use and ensure that the privacy of others is not violated,” a notification on Twitter said.
Earlier, the ministry had urged people to go through the user manual of home security camera systems and devices to learn about the various options and requirements.
“We recommend that you obtain a copy of the user manual that comes with the security camera to understand how to use it and how to change the password, and to ensure the security requirements,” the ministry had said.
According to information available on the MoI website, the Security Systems Department provides several services to implement the law regulating the use of cameras and security surveillance systems. These services can be classified as follows:
Issuing licences for security surveillance systems and devices after confirming their conformity by the Inspections Section.
Issuing conformity certificates for cameras and security surveillance devices and places of installation.
Preparing and deciding bids for installing cameras and security surveillance devices, in co-ordination with the competent bodies.
Issuing licences for importing cameras and security surveillance devices.
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